Page 18 of Generation Omega: Revealed
Sage flinches but she doesn’t disrespect me by pretending I’m overestimating the violence that will find me. In an unexpected move, she wraps her arms around me and whispers into my ear, “Thank you, and I do forgive you. You didn’t know what would happen to her. You never would have put her in danger. And just so we’re clear, I’m beyond thinking we can actually fix anything. If my sister is dead, I don’t mind joining her. I just need to know that we—those of us burdened with this knowledge—have lit the signal fires that others will follow. In the end, that’s all we can do.”
I know she’s right and it’s past time to allow everything we know to go viral. We’re going to be killed very soon, or end up at a black site, and everything we know will be lost, except for a few breadcrumbs that will be swiftly hidden. But the cycle will begin again when the next Sarah, Sage, or Thatcher wanders too close to the truth and becomes a threat. Whether it’s the Volkovs or other shadow forces working to neutralize omegas before they have the chance to call their alphas, it doesn’t really matter. We are outgunned and always have been.
When Sage releases me, she smiles in an unmistakably unhinged manner. “I plan to take a few with me when I go. Make sure you do the same.”
Feeling disturbingly light andrightnow that I’ve decided to race toward my end, I smile back at her. “We played our hand, didn’t we? The legacy can’t be stopped, and we’ll always know we did our part.”
“Yes, we did. Now, go throw that grenade on all they’re trying to suppress. Everything is set. It will stream onto every platform in the world. They won’t be able to stop it, and you know this fandom. They will amplify it until every world leader is forced to answer for what becomes of us and the truth we shared.”
“It’s a sound plan.”
Her phone buzzes and she glances at the screen, her face instantly paling, her resolve suddenly made of iron. “It’s my mole in BD. They’ve got scanners throughout this place.”
I know what’s coming, but I still say, “And?”
“There’s a heat signature for an alpha.”
I breathe the words more than speak them, “Then there has to be an omega.”
She nods solemnly. “The omega isn’t showing on the sensors yet.”
Another message arrives and Sage’s furious vulnerability hurts to behold. “The omega is now on their radar—the only reason they can’t grab her or him is because the signals are too merged within the crowd.” She swallows roughly. “They are both out there in the auditorium and have no idea what’s happening. They probably just think they’re coming down with something, a simple fever.”
I place my hands on her arms and hold her in place. “We know what to do. They might not let me finish, but the information will be released either way.”
Sage surges forward, embracing me. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
“Yes, you certainly will.”
I kiss her cheek and then return to the stage like it’s both my destiny and my executioner.
CHAPTER10
TILLIE
While the crowd continues their fierce whispering about all the possible reasons for Dr. Wellington’s dramatic exit, no one budges from their seats and no one will without a compelling reason. We’ve come too far and waited too long for this.
“I’m not leaving.” I look at Ethan and watch him nod, but his worry casts deep shadows over me. “Am I still warm?”
“Not warm—hot. You really don’t feel it? Not feverish, cold, clammy, sick in any way?”
“No, I feel fine,” I answer instantly, but then I take a moment, leaning back in my chair, closing my eyes, and really considering the state of my body. It’s not that I feel fine or not fine—those aren’t the right words. I definitely don’t feel sick, but I do feela lot. Adrenalin zips through every available inch of me, which would be weird if I were just hanging out in my dorm listening to music. Adrenalin rushes and dopamine spikes—those aren’t abnormal when falling in love, meeting famous people, or attending your favorite convention. But what if they are masking something else?
With a hefty dose of dread, I push past all my senses distracting me with memories of Gideon Blake’s touch, my love for Ethan, my excitement to be here with him, and even my intense curiosity about the lecture that might not happen. Instead, I focus on the one part of my body that always plays weather station, my mysteriously abnormal heart.
It’s not hammering like I’m running a race, but it’s also not mellowly beating like it should when one is seated and going nowhere. But my issues with my heart never involved its ability to pump blood through my body. It’s the hollow places, the five gaping holes that have tormented me for years. I finally feel an appropriate level of distress because somethinghaschanged and, if not for my extreme enthusiasm about the day, I would have already felt it.
All these years, there was never a change, not like this. The imaginary holes are still there, but one is pulsing and tingling, almost like all the places where Gideon Blake touched me. But it’s more than that. The pulsing isn’t just coming from inside me—it’s also being received from the outside, whatever that means. How is my heart suddenly a two-way radio, like the walkie-talkies Ethan and I used to play with?
I want to be furious at the source of so much fear and discomfort in my life, but my need to understand overpowers everything else. I can be pissed off at my body later. For now, I just need to know what’s happening to me. But the more I study my heart, the more unsettled I become.
Do I really want this to not just be in my head? Do I want to know what this actually means? There are things we know that we can’t unknow. Every day, I wish I didn’t know certain things about my life and my family. Do I really need something else that makes me regret being born?
My heart finally responds to my anxiousness like a heart should, pumping wildly, and in answer, the truth becomes unavoidable. Another person’s heart beats in time with mine and, if that weren’t enough of a surprise, I can feel the way the other heartbeat is gently nudging mine toward a more soothing cadence.Don’t panic—if hearts could speak, that’s what this other heart is telling mine. Don’t panic. You aren’t alone. I’m here. We’ll see this through together.
Ethan squeezes my hand. “Tillie, what is it?”
My breath is shaky when I open my eyes and stare at Ethan. “I’m okay… I’m just… there is so much I need to tell you after this.” I know I look as guilty as I am. I should have told him about my heart years ago. I should have shared all my fears. If I had, I could tell him everything that’s overwhelming me right now, but I didn’t. I didn’t trust him when I should have, but I know I can trust him now.
